Creating your own brand is not a simple process. It takes a lot of work and creativity to make your brand match your intention for your product, service or business. Many people get caught up in creating their business that they cast aside the important step of branding. However, branding can make or break your business. Here are five mistakes you should avoid when creating your brand:
1. Creating a brand name first
Brand names really matter. A lot. Many understand this, but they get so excited about creating a name that they do not give the name time to fall into place. Think about your brand first. Give it time to grow into what you want it to be. Once you start to see what works and what does not with your particular idea, then you can begin crafting a name – one that really fits with your purpose.
2. Not defining a niche or purpose
Ideas fail when too much is attempted at once. You should always brainstorm a specific focus or purpose for your brand to make it stand out from competitors. Do ample research on competitors within your niche and see what makes them successful. Now, put your own spin on it so you stand out. Creating a brand that is just like the others in your niche certainly will not bring you success.
3. Attempting to expand too quickly
It can be tempting to expand your brand as soon as you start seeing success. However, taking on too much at once can easily put you on the path to disaster. You will, most of the time, see much more success creating a solid foundation for your brand before you attempt to expand it. Work on what you do really well and create success with that before moving onto other projects.
4. Too much commercial, rather than customer, focus
Your customers are the reason you have a brand, right? One of the biggest branding mistakes you can make is to neglect your customers and focus on your product and service. Sure, you want your product to be amazing, but don’t you want your customers to have an amazing experience? Ensure that you are creating the perfect customer experience with your brand by connecting with them emotionally through personal stories, blog posts and connection with them through email, social media, etc.
5. Not creating an amazing brand launch experience
Some mistakenly think that they need to launch the news of their brand as soon as the ideas all come together and it’s “created.” This can really hurt your brand, though. Instead, you should wait until you have a loyal fan base, a clear purpose and an awesome customer experience in place before creating a launch experience. Once you have a solid foundation for your brand, then take time to put together a formal launch in-person or on social media to get new, potential customers and your loyal fan base excited about your brand!
Remember that creating a solid brand takes time. If you rush it, you are putting yourself on the fast track to failure. However, avoiding these mistakes can bring you the success you hope for with your brand.
Article sources
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/271353
https://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/10-branding-mistakes-and-how-to-avoid-them.html